The present invention relates to avionics and electronic radio systems. In particular, the present invention relates to a real time reprogrammable electronic radio system.
Military aircraft require an electronic radio or CNI avionics system capable of implementing three important classes of functions: communications, navigation and identification (CNI). Communications functions include, for example, communicating over a voice radio and interfacing into a data network; navigation functions include, for example, receiving input radio beacons, glide slope indicators and the global positioning system (GPS); identification functions include, for example, friend-or-foe interrogation. In the case of civilian aircraft, where military identification functions are not required, surveillance functions are typically substituted. Surveillance functions include, for example, civil identification, and position and flight path determination of other aircraft. Communication functions, navigation functions, identification functions, and surveillance functions are generally referred below as the radio functions of an electronic radio system.
In the past, a predetermined set of independent resource assets implemented a typical radio function. Resource assets include, for example, antennas, antenna preconditioning units, receive preselectors, transceivers (or transmitters and receivers), modems (or modulators and demodulators), digital signal processors, amplifiers, microphones, headsets, and the like. Thus, a voice channel reception radio function might be implemented using an antenna, an antenna preconditioning unit, a preselector, a transmit power amplifier, a receiver, a modem, a digital to analog converter, and a headset. The resource assets were dedicated to the particular radio function that the resource assets were designed to perform.
In other words, prior electronic radio systems were developed using point design architectures that were unique to the radio functionality being provided. Each radio function required a separate dedicated architecture that lead to a fixed design that was difficult to modify, for example, for performance upgrades and technology enhancements. As the total number of radio functions increased that the aircraft was required to perform, so did the complexity and the size, weight, and power requirements of the electronic radio system as a whole. However, the need to limit the size, weight, and power requirements in an aircraft is paramount.
Aircraft, and in particular military aircraft, commonly have their flight plans broken up into units referred to as mission segments. Commonly, during any given mission segment, the aircraft exercises only a predetermined subset of the radio functions that the aircraft supports. As examples, missions segments may include “Departure and Recovery”, during which a first subset of radio functions operate, “Air-to-Air Combat and Ground Attack”, during which a second subset or radio functions operate, and “Safe Return to Base”, during which a third subset or radio functions operate. Although the aircraft uses only a subset of all its radio functions during a particular mission segment, past electronic radio system designs often required the aircraft to carry all of the resource assets necessary to provide the full set of radio functions at all times.
The path that radio function data takes through the resources assets that support that radio function is referred to as a function thread. For example, a VHF voice reception radio function thread may start at a VHF antenna, continue through a VHF antenna interface unit, a VHF receiver, a signal processor, a special VHF voice interface to the intercom, and finally a headset. One disadvantageous aspect of prior design techniques was that radio function threads were formed using independent sets of resource assets. In other words, resource assets were not shared based upon the radio function requirements for the current mission segment, thereby leading to the over-inclusion of resource assets to realize the electronic radio system.
In an effort to limit the size, weight, and cost of a electronic radio system, a building block approach was developed. Each building block was capable of performing a portion of the processing required by several different radio functions. However, many different types of building blocks (called common modules) existed. Thus, while an electronic radio system built using the wide variety of building blocks was able to share common installation, packaging and infrastructure resources, the resulting integrated control and data routing created complex interdependencies between radio functions. The interdependencies further complicated the development cycle, and increased the potential for unexpected impact on one set of radio functions as a result of repair, replacement, or upgrade of another radio function.
A need has long existed in the industry for a reprogrammable electronic radio system that addresses the problems noted above and others previously experienced.